Opener for containers



Feb. 15, 1938. E. F. CORNWALL 2,108,431

OPENER FOR CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 26, 1957 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 15, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2.10 .431 oraimn ron commas Edward F. Cornwall, Union Township, Union County, N. J.

Application January26, 1937, Serial No. 32.355 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-50 This invention relates to improvements in openers for containers.

Cardboard containers, of the type generally employed for washing powders, cereals, and other products which are ordinarily contained in such containers, are somewhat inconvenient to open. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an opener by means of which a corner of a cardboard container can be readily opened with a slight movement of the opener.

A further object is the provision of an opener for cardboard containers which can be easily and inexpensively made from sheet metal. The opener can be made from ordinary sheet metal by means of suitable punches and dies; and it is especially adapted for advertising purposes.

These and other advantagous objects, which will later appear, are accomplished by the simple and practical construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and exhibited in the Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the opener on a cardboard container after having cut the one corner of the container.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. l the blank is shown to comprise a rectangular main body portion I, having integral with one side thereof a tongue 2, the free end 3 of which is pointed. Adjacent the main portion l, the tongue has a section 4 for a purpose hereinafter described.

The blank is bent to form the opener as shown in Fig. 3. The main body is bent along the lines 5 and 6 to provide sides I which guide the opener on the container. The portion 4 is bent down and then -back upon itself to provide a thumbpiece to facilitate pushing the opener into the container. The tongue 2 is then bent so that it is parallel with the main body portion I and spaced therefrom a distance approximately equivalent to the thickness of the cardboard used in the container. each side as shown at 8 so that as the tongue 2 cuts through the container there will be no crowding of the cardboard as might be the case if the sides of the tongue were straight.

In operation, the pointed end 3 of the tongue 2 is inserted through the end of the container just beneath the top thereof, and by means of the thumb-piece 4 is pushed as far as possible The tongue 2 is cusped on into the container, which action cuts the container along the side edges 9 and Ill. The contents of the container can now be readily dispensed, and the container again closed by pressing the flap formed by cutting the cover back 5 into the container.

If desired, the pointed end of the tongue'can be provided with a knife-edge or a cutting edge, but ordinarily the provision of the cutting edge is not necessary as the pointed tongue is usually 10 suflicient to cut the cardboard used in forming the container.

The opener, after having cut the flap on the top of the cardboard container is allowed to remain on the flap and when it is desired to close the container the opener and flap are brought down to a position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, thereby providing an air-tight closure for" the container.

During the cutting of the flap, the sides I serve as guides and facilitate the cutting; and when it is desired to close the container, the sides I are pressed inwardly slightly so that they firmly bear against the sides of the container, and thus assist in producinga substantially air-tight closure.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided asimple device for readily cutting cardboard containers. The device can be made at a low cost from sheet metal such as tin or the like, and lends itself well for advertising purposes. The device can be furnished as a premium by the manufacturers of products sold in cardboard containers, and the manufacturers advertisement can be prominently displayed on the opener. I

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only, and not as restrictive or limitative of the invention, of which obviously many embodiments may be considered, including many modifications, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is: a

1. An opener for containers, comprising a main body having integral therewith a cutting tongue,

said tongue being bent back upon the main body and spaced therefrom, and side members integral therewith and bent at right angles to the main body, said side members extending down on the same side of the main body as the tongue.

2. An opener for containers, comprising a main body having an, integral tongue parallel and spaced from the main body. said tongue having its free end pointed end the sides thereoi cusped. n portion of sold tongue being bent it right onslu to the main body to form s finger-piece. end

5 side pleoeo'integrol with end at right angles to the main body, said side members extending down onthe some side of the main body as the tow.

8. An opener for paper containers, comprising 10 a main body having an integrol tongue parallel with and spaced from the main body. said tongue hoving its free and pointed, a portion of said tongue sdjsoent its junction with the main body EDWARD F. CORNWALL. 10 

